Spitfire story in brief for those who may not know

The Supermarine Spitfire has to be one of the most iconic shapes that ever graced the skies. The sight and sound of a Spitfire in all it's forms never fails to turn heads at any event or flypast it attends and is instantly recognisable by it's beautiful elliptical wings

It was designed by chief designer of Vickers-Supermarine Reginald Joseph Mitchell after the Air Ministry issued specifications for a new 8 gun monoplane fighter in 1931.  Reginald J Mitchell had great experience in designing fast machines for the Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider competition (Schneider Trophy). These were competitions held between 1913-1931 for sea planes and later became competitions of pure speed. With the Mitchell designed Supermarine S series powered by the Rolls Royce R engine pushing out an incredible 2000 horsepower. Three times as much power as the Kestral that powered many of the RAF fighters at the time. This combination lead to Supermarine winning three times for Great Britain and therefore retaining the Schneider trophy.

With this experience Mitchell designed the Type 224 which was seen as an unsuccessful cranked wing design without a retractable gear and was nick-named the Shrew by Mitchell himself. After the unsuccessful Type 224 he went on to design the Type 300 this would later become the legendary Spitfire. Rolls Royce again provided the engine with the brand new liquid cooled V12 known as the Merlin. The Prototype first flew on the 5th March 1936 in the capable hands of Vickers Aviation test pilot Captain Joseph "Mutt" Summers.  After the 8 minute flight from Eastleigh near Southampton he told the engineers "I don't want anything touched".

It first entered Royal Air Force Service with 19 squadron based at RAF Duxford in cambridgeshire in 1938. Sadly Reginald J Mitchell died of cancer in 1937 before the Spitfire entered service and never knew what a legend he had designed. It did not take long before the Spitfire would prove their worth in combat. In the Summer of 1940 it would become a vital tool in the defence of Great Britain during the Battle of Britain. Often used for it's speed and agility to tackle German Fighters, while the Hawker Hurricane took on the Bombers.

Because of it's unique design it was able to be upgraded and modified to match the requirements of war. All in all there were 24 different marks of Spitfire and 8 marks of Seafire and were used effectively through out world war 2. The later marks were powered by the more powerful Rolls Royce Griffon engine. The Griffon powered marks are identifiable by the the bulges above the exhaust and the larger rudder to counter the extra torque generated by the larger engine. Also some were equipped with the Tear drop/Bubble canopy for better vision. The Spitfire was operated by over 30 different air forces in it's service life and was extremly popular with those who flew her. The last RAF operational sortie of a Spitfire was carried out by a PR.XIX on the 1 April 1954. It flew a photographic mission over an area of jungle in Johore thought to contain hideouts for Communist guerrillas. The very airframe still flies for the Royal Air Force as part of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight along with 4 other Spitfires, 2 Hurricanes and an Avro Lancaster. It has the words "The Last" painted on the side.

There are just under 50 Spitfires still in airworthy condition in the world of various marks and are treasured by there owners and those lucky enough to be in the presence them. It's place in history was assured the second it's wheels lifted for the first time.